Incoming freshmen to see changes in curriculum, less room for electives

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Although changes made to course curriculums aren’t infrequent, a change that will be implemented in the fall of 2013 may affect the way incoming freshman and transfer students schedule their classes.

The Council on Postsecondary Education is now requiring a set of core classes within each major to be taken by students said Richard Fox, computer science professor and chair of the University Curriculum Committee. He said core classes will consume 50 percent of the courses offered within each major.

“Essentially students won’t have the option for as many electives,” Fox said. “Students were graduating from the same program and not taking the same courses.”
Fox said the goal is to create more structured curriculums to accommodate the new rule that will allow students to be more equivalent come graduation time.
“Right now you can’t say that all students can do ‘x’ when they’ve finished a program,” Fox said.
He said that the change is controversial in some departments on campus.

“There will be less electives and therefore more students in particular classes,” Fox said.
Fox said that the change isn’t only unfortunate for students, but it is for faculty as well, especially those that have an area of interest they enjoy teaching. The rule may cause teachers to teach certain electives less often.

All changes made to the catalog have to be approved by Dec. 6 and on MyNKU by registration for Fall 2013.
Although it may seem like a drastic change, Olena Pilyayeva, adviser for the College of Business, is confident that the changes won’t affect business students much.
“The College of Business structure is very unique,” Pilyayeva said.

She said that there are 14 majors in the college and nine minors; all but two of those majors already have a business administration minor embedded within.
“I think we have one of the toughest programs. Electives are mostly chosen for the College of Business,” Pilyayeva said. “We have a uniformed structure where everyone goes through selective admission.”

Although the rule won’t affect the catalogs of any existing NKU students, it may still affect the availability of certain courses.